Checking in on PAWS, Five Years Later

When Ontario passed the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act (PAWS) in 2019, it promised stronger enforcement and better protection for animals. Five years later, horses across the province are being seized, sheltered, and saved — often from harrowing circumstances.

We reviewed the last two years of public case decisions to understand how PAWS is functioning in the field. (See a review of older cases here.) While challenges remain, from cost disputes to enforcement delays, one thing is clear: PAWS is still in action, and horses are continuing to benefit.

2023: Appeals, Disputes, and Accusations of Perjury

In late 2022, 14 horses were removed from a farm in Burks Falls due to poor conditions, including rain rot, unsafe paddocks, and a lack of shelter. The case would come before the Ontario Animal Care Review Board (ACRB), which makes legal rulings related to PAWS cases, four times in 2023.

Scroll to continue with content

After removal, the owner challenged nearly every cost incurred for the animals’ care, disputing everything from transport fees to the cost of pregnancy ultrasounds and farrier fees. The ACRB upheld the over $25,000 Statement of Account, determining that the veterinary recommendations were appropriate, and that the choice of emergency boarding facility was necessary as no other location closer to the owner’s home could have accepted 14 horses on such short notice.

The owner would go on to file for reconsideration several times, alleging procedural unfairness, conflict of interest, and disability discrimination — but the Board dismissed each appeal.

In a final attempt to reduce her financial liability, the owner appealed two additional Statements of Account for continued boarding, veterinary, and foal care. The appeal was denied after she failed to attend the hearing, and two different Statements of Account totaling $66,469.61 were upheld.

In February, 13 animals — including an Arabian stallion — were removed from a rural property in Sudbury after the owner failed to comply with two animal welfare orders to provide proper shelter, consistent access to food and water, address unsanitary living conditions, and get veterinary care for the stallion.

The owner filed an appeal seeking the return of his animals, arguing they were never in distress. However, the owner did not appear at the hearing and failed to promptly appeal the $25,000+ Statement of Account for the animals’ care, which resulted in an automatic forfeiture of the animals under the PAWS Act. The Board ruled it no longer had the authority to return the animals and dismissed the appeal.

In another case, a lengthy dispute over a September 2022 seizure of three horses — alongside 21 rabbits, 19 chickens, turkeys, and a rooster — was brought forward by a self-represented older man who accused a veterinarian of perjury, and cited limited computer access and personal hardship throughout the proceedings.

In April 2023, the owner appealed a $38,374.44 Statement of Account for care of the seized animals. He did not challenge the removal or “Keep in Care” orders (which allow the Chief Animal Welfare Inspector to retain custody of an animal after removal. The owner still legally owns the animal, but is responsible for care costs unless or until it is forfeited to the Crown. Keep in Care orders are typically issued when the animal risks becoming distressed again if returned.)

The owner argued that he had surrendered the horses willingly and should not be held responsible for their care costs afterward. He also alleged procedural unfairness and accused the veterinarian of perjury, claiming she misrepresented facts about the condition and care of his animals. He filed a formal complaint against the veterinarian with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario and argued that her statements should be inadmissible due to this conflict of interest.

The owner refused [to provide medical care], insisting her naturopathic methods and decades of experience owning horses were sufficient expertise.

However, after reading a different veterinarian’s expert testimony during the appeal, the Board ultimately found these claims unsubstantiated and upheld the veterinarian’s involvement and credibility.

While the Board rejected his claims, they did note that the Statement of Account mistakenly included one day of care after the animals were legally forfeited. As a result, the total owing was reduced by $307 to $37,117.44.

In New Lowell, four elderly equines — Jessica, Cara, Gorgeous, and a pony named Candy — were removed from their owner’s care after she failed to comply with orders for dental exams, vet care and pain relief.

Inspectors first attended the property in October 2023 after reports of an emaciated horse. By November 2023, a replacement order was issued requiring that all four aged horses receive proper veterinary and dental care and that Cara, an aged mare who suffered from a visibly swollen, arthritic knee, be given short-term pain medication to improve her mobility.

The owner refused, insisting her naturopathic methods and decades of experience owning horses, many of whom she claimed lived well into their late 20s and early 30s, were sufficient expertise. She noted that Cara’s visibly swollen leg resulted from an old injury over 15 years ago that caused the joint to ossify, and that painkillers would not “de-ossify” the knee joint and improve her mobility, and would risk colic or additional harm to the aged mare.

By January 18, 2024, the horses were seized for non-compliance. Veterinary testimony later confirmed that the animals had overgrown teeth, were dropping feed, and continued losing weight in foster care.

While in care after being removed, Candy colicked and required emergency treatment, and by February, both Jessica and Cara had to be euthanized due to their declining health. In April 2024, the owner forfeited the remaining two mares.

The owner was billed $10,435.34 for care of the four horses, including boarding, dental work, parasite treatment, and veterinary services. In response, she demanded restitution and reimbursement for five related appeals, but filed no documents or dollar amounts. Her request was dismissed.

At a private zoo in Eganville, two horses and 72 exotic animals — including foxes, parrots, a lemur, and several venomous snakes — were forfeited to the Crown in November 2023 after AWS inspectors found the animals living in inadequate conditions without proper food, shelter, or veterinary care. One horse had an untreated wound on its forelimb, and both were underweight, with dull coats and signs of neglect.

Although the owner appealed the decision to keep the animals, she failed to pay a $29,844.59 Statement of Account (SOA) covering veterinary and boarding costs. Under the PAWS Act, non-payment of an SOA results in automatic forfeiture. The Board dismissed her appeal as moot, ruling it had no authority to return animals once they had legally become property of the Crown.

In Northern Ontario, three horses were among 193 animals (including cattle, sheep, two emus, and over 160 birds of various species) seized from a farm on November 10, 2023, following an AWS inspection the day before.

The horses were found standing in deep mud and feces with no dry bedding. Inspectors noted poor body condition, a lack of clean water, and no evidence of routine veterinary care.

The owner claimed the distress was temporary, blaming the conditions on being delayed from her morning chores due to work. The Board rejected the argument, citing evidence of long-term unsanitary conditions and poor animal health.

In early 2024, the owner appealed the $45,063.32 Statement of Account for transportation, boarding, and vet care, arguing some charges were excessive. The Board reduced it slightly to $43,684.44, excluding a hotel fee and applying a vendor discount that AWS hadn’t passed along, but the return of the animals, including the horses, was denied.

In Iniquios Falls in late December 2023, an older horse named Oliver had a dangerously low Body Condition Score (BCS) of 2–2.5 and was removed from a small hobby farm along with 13 pigs and 17 poultry.

Despite the owner’s efforts to comply with previous orders including worming him, separating him from dominant horses, adjusting his feed, providing a bedded stall with a raised floor (due to occasional flooding in the barn), and blanketing him in cold weather, Oliver failed to gain adequate weight while in her care and was removed. Under advice from the attending veterinarian, the Board ruled that Oliver must reach a BCS of 5 and the owner must demonstrate the ability to meet his dietary needs before he could be safely returned.

By February 2024, Oliver had improved to a BCS of 3.5–4.0 while in foster care. The seized pigs and poultry were returned, as the Board found the owner had made sufficient improvements to their living situation, but Oliver, whose BCS has improved to 4/9, was not fit to be returned to his owner and was forfeited to the Crown.

2024: A Horse in a U-Haul Gets Returned & 20+ Thoroughbreds Escape

In May 2024, 22 Thoroughbred horses were removed from a rented farm in Campbellville after three horses escaped through a broken section of fencing, one of whom later had to be euthanized due to serious injuries.

The incident triggered an urgent inspection by Animal Welfare Services, which revealed pervasive safety hazards, including a lack of proper fencing, throughout the property. Several horses required wound treatment, one was lame, one had an untreated umbilical hernia, and at least one mare was pregnant. A veterinarian determined the horses were in distress and all were removed.

Most of the horses in his care had Body Condition Scores between 2 and 2.5. One horse had a “critically emaciated” score of 0/5.

The owner appealed the removal, arguing that he had started repairing the fence and the escape was due to suspected sabotage by disgruntled tenants. However, the Animal Care Review Board found fencing across the property inadequate, with exposed wires and leaning posts, and the provided shelter failed to meet Ontario’s required standards of care for equines.

Additionally, most of the horses in his care had Body Condition Scores between 2 and 2.5. One horse had a “critically emaciated” score of 0/5. Only two horses had a BCS above 2.5. The horses also had high parasite loads and showed a lack of routine care, like farrier work and vaccinations.

The owner requested the return of the horses in a July 2024 hearing, which was denied.

Undeterred, three months later the owner appealed the Decision to Keep, arguing that the horses were no longer in distress (citing his own nutritional theories and asserting that racehorses should maintain leaner body condition scores) and claiming he had addressed the fencing and safety issues that prompted their removal.

That appeal was also denied after the Board concluded that returning the horses would expose them to further risk and the owner had not made satisfactory improvements to the property.

Finally, in December 2024, the owner appealed a second Statement of Account (SOA) for $68,284.85 related to the boarding, veterinary, and farrier costs incurred while the horses remained in AWS care between July and August. He challenged the boarding rates — some as high as $50 per day — but the Board upheld the full amount, finding the charges reasonable and in line with provincial veterinary and boarding standards.

In Windsor on June 6, 2024, a Quarter Horse named Beauty was seized after being found confined in a parked U-Haul trailer without adequate food, water, or access to exercise. Twelve cats and five dogs were also being housed in the trailer.

Inspectors had issued an order the day before the seizure requiring proper care, which the owners failed to comply with.

The owners claimed they had arranged boarding at a nearby facility, but when AWS followed up with the facility, the stable owner said they never agreed to board Beauty, did not want the horse, and had even blocked the owners’ emails.

With no confirmed shelter and a track record of neglect, including transporting the 18 animals in a sweltering moving truck without food or water, the Board ruled that returning Beauty would put her back in distress.

The horse was found confined in a parked U-Haul trailer without adequate food, water, or access to exercise; 12 cats and five dogs were also being housed in the trailer.

The owners made repeated appeals, both to the orders to remove the animals and the $17,000 Statement of Account to cover the cost of care for all the animals seized, including $979 in vet and boarding fees for Beauty alone.

The $17,000 Statement of Account was upheld, but in a surprising twist, Beauty was returned to the owners on November 3, 2024 — five months after her removal — under strict conditions.

AWS issued a new six-month order requiring ongoing care, including proper feed, water, shelter, and farrier visits, and mandated that the boarding facility be notified. The horse was sent to a stable selected by the owners and inspected by AWS.

In a February 2025 appeal, the owner argued that Beauty was not in distress and that the oversight was unnecessary. The Board upheld the order of oversight, arguing there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Beauty remained at risk based on the owners’ poor track record with planning, finances, and credibility, including lying about boarding her at a facility that had outright blocked them. The oversight order will remain in effect until May 2025.

2025: One of The Worst Cases Yet

Widely seen as the PAWS Act’s most glaring failure to date, a February 2025 case involving starving horses, a dead foal, and the euthanization of a former Woodbine racehorse has ignited province-wide outrage and renewed calls for urgent reform. (Read HorseSport’s report here.)

After a call was placed on February 4, it took nearly two weeks for Animal Welfare Services to respond to reports of starving horses and a dead foal. Inspectors took photographs, but did not bring a veterinarian during the first inspection on February 12.

Inspectors found ice-filled water buckets, moldy hay, and emaciated animals picking through manure in search of food, prompting the investigators to issue multiple compliance orders for the owner to address the circumstances. The owner did not comply.

When inspectors finally acted on February 21, they seized 16 horses from two properties owned by the accused in Oro-Medonte and later Port Perry.

A Thoroughbred named Seattle Sunrise, once a Woodbine racehorse, was so severely malnourished that he had to be euthanized despite immediate veterinary intervention. Reports claim he had been in the owner’s care only 10 weeks.

The owner, who has operated under numerous aliases, had been barred from her new rental property in Port Perry due to unpaid rent just days before the seizure. The call on February 4th was not the first complaint about the owner, either. Several months before the horses were seized, both a hay supplier and a horse shipper had complained to authorities about the condition of her horses.

Despite multiple warnings over several months and the visible suffering of the animals, the delay in AWS’s response has ignited widespread criticism, prompting advocates to demand urgent legislative changes to improve response times and enforcement authority.

“Animal Welfare Services (AWS) can confirm the horses were removed. Due to the ongoing investigation, no additional details can be provided,” said Brett Ross, spokesperson for the Solicitor General responsible for overseeing the PAWS Act.

Conclusion

Five years after its launch, the PAWS Act continues to show both its strength and its shortcomings. These cases underscore how powerful intervention can be—but also how urgently reform is needed when enforcement lags behind public concern.

While PAWS has helped rescue countless horses from neglect and suffering, its success still hinges on everyday vigilance. Horsepeople across Ontario remain the “eyes and ears” of the Act — spotting signs of distress, raising red flags, and speaking up for the animals who can’t speak for themselves.

With dozens of horses removed from distress in just the past two years, PAWS proves it still has teeth — sharp, if sometimes delayed — and a mandate to act. But it needs your eyes, your voice, and your courage.

If you suspect a horse, or any animal, is being mistreated, call Animal Welfare Services at 1-833-9-ANIMAL (1-833-926-4625). For information about animal protection acts in other provinces, click here.